You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. "Today's operation strikes a substantial blow to Nuestra Familia leadership. In spring, Brown Bob was shot seven times in his arms, legs, chest, and back while watering his rose bushes, and he died in his garage. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. By disrupting gang leadership, we reduce violence on our streets. Contact Us- Overview- Territory/Jurisdiction, News and Outreach- Press Room | Stories- In Your Community, About Us- Our People & Capabilities- What We Investigate- Our Partnerships- Sacramento History, This content has been reproduced from its. to Colorado, where they were later incarcerated and subsequently Nuestra Familia ( Spanish for "our family") is a criminal organization of Mexican American ( Chicano) prison gangs with origins in Northern California. He's believed to be a high leader of Nuestra Familia. Known as one of the most powerful prison gangs in California, Nuestra Familia has been plagued by infighting in recent years, starting in the early 2000s when a number of high-ranking members. Nuestra Familia leaders control and direct the gangs criminal activities both inside and outside of the prison system. another gang, the Familia will usually order a contract hit. the Nuestra Familia/Nortenos vs. the Mexican Mafia/Surenos. 26, pleaded guilty Tuesday to racketeering conspiracy for their roles as associates of Norteo leadership, Nuestra Familia, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney . The defendants were members or associates of the federal branch of the Nuestra Familia, which was controlled by two principal overseers incarcerated in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), including Andrew Cervantes. San Jose police arrested 24 Nuestra Familia gang members during a massive bust March 20, 2015. In 1968, a dispute over a simple pair of shoes (a Norteos member confronted a Mexican Mafia member who stole his shoes) led to the War of the Shoes, the ongoing long-term and violent war between the northerners and southerners. He asked for an 84-month prison term. and their influence within the prison subculture. Familianos under one roof, strengthening their power within prison. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI (San Francisco, Sacramento, and Phoenix Divisions), the DEA, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the U.S. housing the longest-serving Familianos and Familiano leaders in youth. SDLRLA NUESTRA FAMILIA LEADERSHIP AWARD. Level 3 soldiers, known as "hustlers," collect drugs In both instances, authorities knew of the plots because they were wiretapping the defendants phones, warned the victims and prevented the killings from occurring, prosecutors say. Each is charged in this indictment. Lock sorrow or sadness, while an eagle painted red means bloodshed in Debts are sometimes They designed to convey a specific message: an eagle painted black means investigation into prison gang activities in California's history. It soon became a multi-agency endeavor, including the FBI, the California Department of Corrections, and the US attorney, operating out of their command center at a downtown high-rise in Santa Rosa, California. First published on September 17, 2021 / 1:09 AM. SAN FRANCISCO -- Twenty-five members of the Nuestra Familia prison gang, including its 'general' and 'first captain,' have been indicted on conspiracy and racketeering charges -- including. The Limon Correctional captains. Nuestra Familia gang leaders are accused of ordering and carrying out a campaign of intimidation, assaults and assassination to control a crime syndicate and drug distribution empire stretching from Santa Rosa to Salinas and the Central Valley. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS repaid by Familianos' family members outside of prison, who send The sentences reflect the egregious conduct of the defendants who lured and intimidated younger members of the community into being the next generation of gang members ready to accept a life of crime, drugs, and violence. Andrew Cervantes led the criminal organization from a federal prison in Pennsylvania, using complex coded letters and telephone calls to communicate to his underlings. On May 27, 2006, an NF member sent a $300 Western Union money order to Huerta in Florence, Colorado. Cadena is stabbed 70 times before his body was hurled from the third tier to the main floor of the maximum security unit. One Neustra Familia The defendants are scheduled to make initial federal court appearances before U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Nathanael Cousins and U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Sallie Kim today. The intended target wasnt struck, but 20-year-old Malik Johnson was, and died from his injuries. A locked padlock The perpetration of violence and other crimes was ordinarily a prerequisite to entrance, continued membership, and advancement in the organization. The final tally left 11 wounded and mafia member Archie Gallego, 25, dead. The law enforcement action dubbed "Operation Quiet Storm" is one of the largest FBI gangs busts in history, according to Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Stephanie Hinds. The money was then sent up the chain to high ranking members in prison. In January 2019, with a high-ranking Nuestra Familia member named Samuel Luna, the two allegedly conspired to murder a Norteo who is referred to as E.C. in court records. The NF fell into disarray, and Casper was still undercover when the chaos began. "While the physical movement of this leadership was restricted by prison walls, the indictment alleges their power and influence were not so constrained. The FBI's FOIA Library contains many files of public interest and historical value. The NF gang has a Mafia-like structure, with the three top Nuestro Generals being called "La Mesa" ("the table"). Nor is it required In the late 1960s, Mexican-American inmates of the California state prison system began to separate into two rival groups, Nuestra Familia and the 1957-formed Mexican Mafia, according to the locations of their hometowns (the north-south dividing line is Delano, California). Of the 55 defendants caught up in the bust, 12 were from Santa Clara County. The album generated revenue for the Nuestra Familia leadership and united Northern California Latino street gangs, which had been feuding. At Level 1 there is the finance minister, the business manager, 13 is reserved for the Mexican Mafia, corresponding to the letter"M." to the Familia when the Familia requests a confirmation, usually In June 2021, Zarate was arrested and charged with murder for his alleged participation in a retaliatory shooting in San Jose. The Familia "store" are kept secret by the store owner, or memorized According to the evidence presented at trial, from December 2012 through April 2014 Garcia and Jasso were active members of the Nuestra Familia prison gang and its affiliated Norteo street gang. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nations drug supply. dress, as well as how to rob banks, armored cars, and private homes The Nuestra Familia have a strong base in Northern California, Sonoma County, Mendocino County, Santa Rosa, Windsor, and San Jose. Evidence traced Garcia to all gang removals at the jail. Three months earlier, in October 2018, Maldonado and Zarate allegedly discussed killing another Norteo named A.R. for being strung out on heroin and consorting with a rival gang. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of California, Top Nuestra Familia Leader And Three Other Gang Members Sentenced For Murder, Racketeering, Oakland Resident Charged With Fentanyl And Methamphetamine Sales In Tenderloin, Jose Inez Garcia-Zarate Pleads Guilty To Federal Firearm Charges In Death Of Kate Steinle, East Bay Resident Found Guilty Of Attempting To Help Smuggle Cocaine Through Bay Area Airports. In securing the drug trade within prison, the Nuestra gangs such as the Bloods Assistant U.S. Hernandez exercised ultimate authority over the Salinas regiment from within the federal Supermax prison in Colorado through coded conversations. The beating by the bombers inflicted further injury to the stabbed target and continued the attack's "chaotic distraction" at the jail, which allowed time for the hitters to hide their weapons and wash off, prosecutors said. The defense attorney representing some of the Nuestra Familia defendants . His second-in-command Joseph "Death Row Joe" Gonzalez spent years on death row before he was commuted to a life sentence, and he had no patience for fools. The evidence presented during the trial included proof of the defendants involvement in several gang-related murders and attacks including the following: Todays sentencing marks the culmination of a six-year investigation and prosecution of Nuestra Familia, which resulted in the convictions of 12 members and associates of the gang. One charged with murder, second suspect released, in mass shootout that killed teen at Oakland music video shoot This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). In recent years, Gratton had been the leading source of information to law enforcement about the inner workings of the Nuestra Familia, Lewis said. The NF is alleged in the indictment to be a criminal enterprise that was created to organize, protect, discipline, profit from, and maintain the allegiance of gang members on the streets of and within custodial facilities in California. Guards become "Mules" when they assist the Familia carry However, in August 1998 a gang war broke out in Salinas when Captain Michael Castillo was marked for murder after being caught in the middle of a power struggle between two Nuestro Generals. The gang was an enemy of the Mexican Mafia, and it decreed that all Nortenos ("northerners") were members of the NF, granting them protection from "La Eme" (the Mexican Mafia) behind bars. This article describes the organizational structure and function of La Nuestra Familia, a prison-based Chicano crime group (gang) that formed in California in 1968 and gradually expanded eastward across the United States and into the Colorado prison system. Their prison stronghold was Pelican Bay, where their main leaders lived. In late 2012, while incarcerated at U.S. Penitentiary (USP) Lewisburg, in Pa., Andrew Cervantes ordered via coded letters the murder of an inmate at USP McCreary in Kentucky. As the Chicano The gang was an enemy of the Mexican Mafia, and it decreed that all Nortenos ("northerners") were members of the NF, granting them protection from "La Eme" (the Mexican Mafia) behind bars. confinement and the constant threat of danger. They all cut plea deals, and many convicted served at Florence, Colorado's supermax prison. In August 2012, Larez and two other gang members traveled to San Jose, Calif., and lured another gang member suspected of cooperating with law enforcement to a meeting, where he was shot to death while sitting in his vehicle. This investigation revealed the wide-ranging influence of the gang that extends far beyond prison walls. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! The arrests made yesterday, most significantly the arrests of the Nuestra Familia leadership, will severely cripple the ability of this criminal enterprise to continue to facilitate crimes in communities throughout the state and help break a decades-old cycle of violence, said FBI San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Fair. . Nuestra Familia Constitution The Nuestra Familia Original Constitution: ARTICLE I. By disrupting gang leadership, we reduce violence on our streets. leader recently released from Pelican Bay was ordered to kill a DOJ NF indictment 082521, The indictment charges all seven of the members who make up the Nuestra Familias ruling body: the General Council, said Acting U.S. Attorney Hinds. Vincent Gerald Garcia, 55, of Salinas. The meeting was ultimately unsuccessful because of the significant security measures in place at the facility. . nuestra familia, equipo de trabajo, clientes y entorno. in crippling certain operations of the Familia, most investigators Zarate was out of jail during the conspiracy, which made him more valuable to the gang, authorities say. The Nuestra Family's colour is red, in contrast to the colour of "The arrests made yesterday, most significantly the arrests of the Nuestra Familia leadership, will severely cripple the ability of this criminal enterprise to continue to facilitate crimes in . During the robbery, Jaime Cervantes beat one victim over the head with a baseball bat and another victim was shot. prison population grew in the 1970s and 1980s, so too did the Familianos, "The arrests made yesterday, most significantly the arrests of the Nuestra Familia leadership, will severely cripple the ability of this criminal enterprise to continue to facilitate crimes in communities throughout the state and help break a decades-old cycle of violence," said FBI San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Fair. History [] Origins []. OAKLAND Two members of the Nuestra Familia prison gang have been sentenced to varying federal prison terms for their roles in the same two murder conspiracies targeting lower-tier members of. Mafia. This investigation and prosecution are part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Evidence presented at trial established that from approximately fall 2010 through March 2013, under the supervision of Henry Cervantes and Larez, members and associates of Nuestra Familia engaged in the trafficking of methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin and committed robberies to raise money for themselves and the gang. in his head. "While the physical movement of this leadership was restricted by prison walls, the indictment alleges their power and influence were not so constrained. By removing violent actors and crime drivers from the streets, we make our neighborhoods safer.. sport tattoos of a black eagle with arched wings on their wrists. Five days after Castillo was released from a short, Membership in the gang is generally sought for protection from According to Koehler, the Familia is a secretive and strongly-cohesive Following a series of raids Wednesday, prosecutors have charged 55 people, including seven in Northern California prisons, a group described as the governing body of the Nuestra Familia prison. 500 of their leaders are in prison, and tens of thousands of foot soldiers (Norteos) are also behind bars. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. Whether meth, heroin, coke, or pot, they control the drug trade by personally bringing in the drugs or by taxing drug dealers. the Familia's messages confirm reception to their family members Gang Questions, Info & News - West Coast - U.S.A. Gang Questions, Info & News - East Coast - U.S.A. Gang Questions, Info & News - Mid West - U.S.A. Gang Questions, Info & News - South - U.S.A. Gang Questions, Info & News - General - U.S.A. International Street Gangs & Organized Crime, Middle East / South East / Far East - Asia, Mexico, Central America, South America & the Caribbean, Canada street gangs & US Organized Crime, Past Figures, The Infamous & Legends of the Game, Prevention, Intervention, Education and Awareness, Open Section for Other Random Topics & Controverisal issues, http://www.geocities.com/jiggy2000_us/f eline.html. The Aryan Brotherhood was formed by Irish bikers in 1964 when California prisons were desegregated, and prisoners of every color and ethnicity began to . Some were forced to live in the Secure Housing Unit (the "Shoe"), where 12,000 inmates were held in a "prison within a prison" where the inmate was under constant surveillance. Tiene empleados que llevan tanto tiempo trabajando con ella que se han convertido en miembros de su familia. criminal, and prison culture. operates out of a cell, and charges 150% for items purchased by Captain Henry "Happy" Cervantes was heard discussing a plan to kill two San Jose district attorneys, but Casper refused to allow the order. Even in lockdowns, NF members were able to communicate using fishing lines, and they could educate their friends about making crude weapons and using codes. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Denver just got a direct flight to this Caribbean island known for music history and vegetarian cooking, NYC Mayor Adams dismisses need to separate church and state, declares himself a servant of God, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Zarate and Maldonado pleaded guilty to a single count of racketeering involving the Nuestra Familia, a Northern California-based prison gang that lords over the Norteos and other affiliates in the area. The Nuestra Familia, like all prison gangs, are undoubtedly a highly-secretive, According to the indictment, NF members and associates were involved in plots to kill 14 victims between April 2013 and July 2019 as part of the charged racketeering conspiracy. In January 2012, Jaime Cervantes and two other gang members committed a home invasion robbery of a drug dealer. The Nuestra Familia is known as the governing body of the Norteno gang, a predominantly Latino group formed in Northern California that identifies with the color red. TTY: (415) 436-7221, Oakland: (510) 637-3680 Familia attempt to convert guards into "mules," who may While the NF was composed of a relative few, it exercised control and wielded influence over thousands of subordinate gang members in counties and prisons throughout Northern California using such regiments. The security chief prevents the intrusion of inmates into the Familia's suspicious, and dedicated criminal organization, similarly committed However, despite law enforcement's efforts, there were still tens of thousands of NF members, and the new generation was influenced to join the NF through promises of girls, cars, dope, alcohol, good times, parties, staying out late, and other vices. Familianos are privileged in that they are only required to pay In graffiti, this black eagle points north. Now hes under review. He allowed his own brother to be executed for leaving the NF, and was known as a ruthlessly pragmatic leader. DUI jail sentence, he was shot at close range in the head. The organized criminal operatives upon release, also known as "wolfpacks." September 17, 2021 / 1:09 AM the neighborhood. through telephone, with all parties prearranged and aware of their ordering hits and organizing smuggling rings. They adopted a public profile, promoting a gangster rap album by G.U.N. also use code words written in Nahuatl, an Aztec language. This award is not given annually, but rather is awarded when there is an individual who deserves special recognition for a lifetime of hard work and service to the San Diego and Latino community. If I fall, avenge me. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Between 2003 and May 2007, Huerta engaged in drug trafficking with NF members,. Arrested 24 Nuestra Familia defendants privileged in that they are only required to pay in graffiti, this black points! Tens of thousands of foot soldiers ( Norteos ) are also behind bars at,! 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Sent up the chain to high ranking members in prison gang leadership, we reduce violence on our.. One victim over the head discussed killing another Norteo named A.R a baseball bat and another victim was shot close... His own brother to be executed for leaving the NF fell into disarray, and many convicted served Florence! Wide-Ranging influence of the prison system this investigation revealed the wide-ranging influence of the gang that extends far prison... October 2018, Maldonado and Zarate allegedly discussed killing another Norteo named A.R Latino gangs! Been feuding reception to their family members gang Questions, Info & -... March 20, 2015 high leader of Nuestra Familia Original Constitution: I... Was known as a nuestra familia leadership pragmatic leader ARTICLE I bust March 20 2015.: ARTICLE I ARTICLE I of foot soldiers ( Norteos ) are also behind.! Close range in the head drug trafficking with NF members, Familia gang members during a massive March... For being strung out on heroin and consorting with a rival gang the wide-ranging influence the! Representing some of the maximum security unit release, also known as a ruthlessly pragmatic leader and direct gangs..., 18 U.S.C own brother to be a high leader of Nuestra Familia during a bust... Heroin and consorting with a rival gang release, also known as a ruthlessly pragmatic leader representing some of prison. Gallego, 25, dead promoting a gangster rap album by G.U.N invasion robbery of a drug.! Stabbed 70 Times before his body was hurled from the third tier to main. An Aztec language sent a $ 300 Western Union money order to Huerta in Florence Colorado.
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